10 Binge-Worthy British Comedies

It used to be said that Americans just didn’t “get” British humor with its heavy emphasis on irony, the absurd, and insults, but thanks to the growing number of ways people are both making and watching television on screens large and small, the Pond (as it were) between these two stalwart nations of comedy is growing smaller by the second. British comedy has influenced everything from All in the Family to the American version of The Office. Before you catch Sharon Horgan on the new season of Todd Margaret on IFC starting January 7th, check out these 10 hilarious series from the U.K. that will make you think BBC actually stands for Binge-worthy British Comedy.

1. Extras

Following the success of both the U.K. and U.S. versions of The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote, produced, and starred in this series about background actor Andy Millman (Gervais), his best friend Maggie (the delightfully daffy Ashley Jensen from Ugly Betty), and his apathetic, awkward agent, Darren (Merchant). As Andy begins to work his way up in showbiz, he encounters various celebrities (all playing arch, exaggerated versions of themselves) and often finds himself majorly putting his foot in his mouth. Extras brilliantly satirizes showbiz, celebrity, and the perils of trying to “make it,” employing Gervais and Merchant’s signature style of cringe-comedy blended with some surprisingly tender moments.

2. Miranda

American audiences may recognize Miranda Hart from Paul Feig’s hit comedy film Spy or as the lovable Chummy on the excellent PBS period drama Call the Midwife, but in the U.K., Hart is a beloved, well-known comedian who wrote, produced, and starred in this traditional, three-camera style sitcom loosely based on her own experiences as a thirty-something woman. Hart’s endearingly klutzy onscreen version of herself owns a joke shop with her best friend Stevie (Sarah Hadland), fending off her overbearing mother’s (Patricia Hodge, loftily great) plots to marry her off whilst crushing on her restaurant-owning dreamboat of a high school classmate, Gary (Tom Ellis). Hart, much like her Spy costar Melissa McCarthy, is a wonderful physical comedian who is equally as adept at delivering punchlines and genuine moments of drama as she is pratfalls. Miranda is a silly (there is the occasional fart joke), fun, if occasionally bittersweet look at one woman’s journey to true adulthood.

3. Absolutely Fabulous

If you haven’t heard of glamorous BFFs Edina and Patsy by now, sweetie darling, you are seriously behind the times. Ab Fab, as it is more affectionately called by its enthusiastic fan base, is one of the most beloved sitcoms ever produced in Britain. PR maven Edina (show creator and writer Jennifer Saunders) and magazine editor Patsy (Joanna Lumley) often can be found drunk, high, and hilariously trying to stay “hip” to the most current trends much to the increasingly bitter chagrin of Edina’s teenage (then twenty-something) conservative daughter, Saffron (Julia Sawalha). The show has such a cult-following in both the U.K. and U.S., a film version, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, will hit the big screen in 2016. World box-office domination in style sounds just like something of which Edina and Patsy would approve.

4. Pulling

Though it lasted only two seasons, Pulling was a hit with both critics and audiences alike and was a breakout vehicle for its writer and star, Todd Margaret‘s own Sharon Horgan. The series focuses on three single girlfriends living in a southeast London suburb and their various romantic misadventures with often laugh-out-loud, cringe-inducing results. This delightfully filthy NSFW comedy is the perfect companion series to Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck (but maybe also don’t watch it with your parents).

5. The Thick of It

Largely considered to be one of the best political satires of all-time, The Thick of It also gave actor Peter Capaldi one of his two signature “doctor” roles (and it’s not the one where he’s a time-traveling alien in a blue police phone-box over on BBC America): as foul-mouthed PR spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker. This hysterical, expletive-laced show with razor-sharp dialogue focuses on the fictional Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship and its blundering cabinet-members, often using real life current political events in Britain for inspiration. Creator Armando Iannucci is also responsible for one of the best political satires on THIS side of the Pond: HBO’s hit, Emmy-winning series Veep.

6. Gavin & Stacey

These days, James Corden is busy hosting The Late Late Show over on CBS with our old pal Reggie Watts, but before he became a household name in America, he already was one in the U.K., thanks in large part to Gavin & Stacey. Corden got the idea for this endearingly kooky, bittersweet romantic comedy about a young couple falling in love after meeting one another over a series of long-distance phone calls from his own real life best friend, Gavin. The series follows Gavin (Matthew Horn) and Stacey (Joanna Page) as they meet one another for the first time, get engaged, and work through all the little bumps and milestones along the way while their best friends Smithy (Corden) and Nessa (co-creator/writer Ruth Jones) struggle with their own complicated feelings for one another. Gavin & Stacey proves love can go the distance…even the kind over the telephone.

7. Getting On

While HBO has pulled off a fairly successful remake of Getting On, the original U.K. version from BBC Four is not to be missed. Praised for its realism and the superb performances of lead actresses Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan, and Vicki Pepperdine (who also serve as head writers), Getting On is a scathingly funny, masterfully-rendered look at the ins-and-outs of nursing in the most difficult of conditions, leaving audiences unsure as to whether the tears in their eyes are from laughter or sadness. (Fun fact: the first two seasons were directed by Doctor Who himself Peter Capaldi.)

8. Coupling

Before he took on mega-hits Doctor Who and Sherlock, executive producer and writer Steven Moffat gave audiences Coupling, a sitcom focused on three men and three women in their late twenties and early thirties as they navigate work and relationships, partially inspired by his own relationship with his wife, producer Sue Vertue. If that formula sounds familiar, that’s because it’s something of a cross between Friends and Seinfeld. But as with most Moffat-penned shows, the brilliance of Coupling lies in the way he pushes the envelope of the traditional sitcom format by using devices like split-screens or non-linear storytelling, resulting in something intricately-plotted, wholly-original, and full of breezy wit. Which is something the short-lived American version of Coupling severely lacked.

9. That Mitchell and Webb Look

The U.K. has a rich tradition of sketch comedy (see: Monty Python, Catherine Tate, Fry & Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, etc.), but David Mitchell and Robert Webb form one of the most prominent and prolific sketch comedy duos in the modern era. The pair wrote the popular Peep Show and also for Bruiser, the single-season BBC Two comedy that launched the careers of Martin Freeman and Broadchurch‘s Olivia Colman. That Mitchell and Webb Look features a number of recurring sketches and characters; some filthy (“Bawdy 1970s Hospital” comes to mind), some absurd (see the sketch, “The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar”), all laugh-out-loud funny. It’s not hard to see why the show won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Program in 2007.

10. Moone Boy

Okay, this one is technically Irish, but it airs on British network Sky so we’ll count it. Chris O’Dowd has steadily been making his mark in the American comedy scene thanks to his 2011 breakout role as Kristen Wiig‘s adorable love interest in Bridesmaids, but some of his best work is his critically-acclaimed, semi-autobiographical series, Moone Boy, shot in his hometown in Ireland. The series, which is set in the late ’80s/early ’90s, centers on twelve year-old Martin Moone (Peter McDonald) and his imaginary best friend (O’Dowd) as they try navigating the perils of growing up using increasingly ridiculous schemes. The wondrous thing about Moone Boy is how O’Dowd brings Martin’s imagination to life by mixing animation and live-action to create something totally unique, surreal, and heartfelt. An American version is said to be in development at ABC, but the original is awfully hard to beat.

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Make The Holidays ’80s Again

Enjoy the holiday cheer Wednesday December 21 at 10P on IFC.

Posted by Ben Cochran on November 30thPhoto Credit: Everett Collection

Whatever happened to the kind of crazy-yet-cozy holiday specials that blanketed the early winter airwaves of the 1980s? Unceremoniously killed by infectious ’90s jadedness? Slow fade out at the hands of early-onset millennial ennui? Whatever the reason, nixing the tradition was a huge mistake.

A huge mistake that we’re about to fix.

Announcing IFC’s Joe’s Pub Presents: A Holiday Special, starring Tony Hale. It’s a celeb-studded extravaganza in the glorious tradition of yesteryear featuring Bridget Everett, Jo Firestone, Nick Thune, Jen Kirkman, house band The Dap-Kings, and many more. And it’s at Joe’s Pub, everyone’s favorite home away from home in the Big Apple.

The yuletide cheer explodes Wednesday December 21 at 10P. But if you were born after 1989 and have no idea what void this spectacular special is going to fill, sample from this vintage selection of holiday hits:

Andy Williams and The NBC Kids Search For Santa

The quintessential holiday special. Get snuggly and turn off your brain. You won’t need it.

A Muppet Family Christmas

The Fraggles. The Muppets. The Sesame Street gang. Fate. The Jim Henson multiverse merges in this warm and fuzzy Holiday gathering.

Julie Andrews: The Sound Of Christmas

To this day a foolproof antidote to holiday cynicism. It’s cheesy, but a good cheese. In this case an Alpine Gruyère.

Star Wars Holiday Special

Okay, busted. This one was released in 1978. Still totally ’80s though. And yes that’s Bea Arthur.

Pee Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special

Pass the eggnog, and make sure it’s loaded. This special is everything you’d expect it to be and much, much more.

Joe’s Pub Presents: A Holiday Special premieres Wednesday December 21 at 10P on IFC.

A Guide to Coping with the End of Comedy Bang! Bang!

After five seasons and 110 halved-hour episodes, Scott Aukerman’s hipster comedy opus, Comedy Bang! Bang!, has come to an end. Fridays at 11 and 11:30P will never be the same. We know it can be hard for fans to adjust after the series finale of their favorite TV show. That’s why we’ve prepared this step-by-step guide to managing your grief.

Step One: Cry it out

It’s just natural. We’re sad too.

Step Two: Read the CB!B! IMDB Trivia Page

The show is over and it feels like you’ve lost a friend. But how well did you really know this friend? Head over to Comedy Bang! Bang!’s IMDB page to find out some things you may not have known…like that it’s “based on a Civil War battle of the same name” or that “Reggie Watts was actually born with the name Theodore Leopold The Third.”

Step Three: Listen to the podcast

One fascinating piece of CB!B! trivia that you might not learn from IMDB is that there’s a podcast that shares the same name as the TV show. It’s even hosted by Scott Aukerman! It’s not exactly like watching the TV show on a Friday night, but that’s only because each episode is released Monday morning. If you close your eyes, the podcast is just like watching the show with your eyes closed!

Step Four: Watch brand new CB!B! clips?!

The best way to cope with the end of Comedy Bang! Bang! is to completely ignore that it’s over — because it’s not. In an unprecedented move, IFC is opening up the bonus CB!B! content vault. There are four brand new, never-before-seen sketches featuring Scott Aukerman, Kid Cudi, and “Weird Al” Yankovic ready for you to view on the IFC App. There’s also one right here, below this paragraph! Watch all four b-b-bonus clips and feel better.

Binge the entire final season, plus exclusive sketches, right now on the IFC app.

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The Four-Day Sweatsgiving Weekend On IFC

This long holiday weekend is your time to gobble gobble gobble and give heartfelt thanks—thanks for the comfort and forgiveness of sweatpants. Because when it comes right down to it, there’s nothing more wholesome and American than stuffing yourself stupid and spending endless hours in front of the TV in your softest of softests.

So get the sweats, grab the remote and join IFC for four perfect days of entertainment.

It all starts with a 24-hour T-day marathon of Rocky Horror Picture Show, then continues Friday with an all-day binge of Stan Against Evil.

By Saturday, the couch will have molded to your shape. Which is good, because you’ll be nestled in for back-to-back Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.

Finally, come Sunday it’s time to put the sweat back in your sweatpants with The Shining, The Exorcist, The Chronicles of Riddick, Terminator 2, and Blade: Trinity. They totally count as cardio.

As if you need more convincing, here’s Martha Wash and the IFC&C Music Factory to hammer the point home.